Happy New Year, Vic
by lovemesomelongmire
Summary: Set sometime after Season 3..a little bit of a story, just for fun. Dipping my toe in to the pool of Longmire stories to see if the water's fine or to find out if I'll drown on my first attempt at diving in:) Hope you're all up for some fireworks!


HAPPY NEW YEAR, VIC…

"So…did you have any plans for New Year's, Vic?"

I glanced over at Walt, knowing why he was suddenly engaging in small talk, but not quite ready to let him off the hook.

"Apparently, _someone _decided that a trip to Whitefish Montana and back by car would be a good way to spend New Year's Eve. Now who the fuck would ever think THAT was a good way to spend the day?" and even though it was dark out, I still gave him a frosty look, hoping he'd be able to see it by the dashboard lights.

"Getting that scumbag off our hands was worth the trip, I thought"

"He was kind of stinking up the place" I admitted, "but geez, Walt, couldn't Whitefish come get him instead?" and I let out an exasperated sigh. I KNOW he heard that! I glared at him.

In total stubborn defiance of my glare, he kept his eyes straight ahead, focused on the road, but I knew he was feeling it. I wasn't really all that upset, though, but he didn't need to know that. I could've been out dancing at the Red Pony, I could've been pounding back a few beers and shooting some pool, I could've been wearing something nice and flirting with some mysterious stranger, if one had existed in Durant, Wyoming, but in actual fact, I probably would've had one, maybe two beers at the Pony and then gone home to my sweats and Netflix and toasted my wilting houseplants with a shot of whiskey instead. Christmas had been bad enough, although it had been great fun having dinner at Henry's place with the gang, but the 'gang' was beginning to feel like the Lonely Hearts Club, none of us being attached or even dating anyone….but that was okay because Christmas is the time for friends and family, so it was said, and the Absaroka Sheriff's Department personnel _were_ my friends and family, but New Year's well, that was a different scene altogether. In my experience, New Year's was about partying, getting drunk, getting layed, in that order, and waking up the next morning feeling like shit, which wasn't much of a way to ring in a new year, but it was tradition for fuck's sake! Okay, so I was older now and that kind of New Year's debauchery had been behind me once I'd married Sean, but I was since divorced, and there wasn't a single, solitary guy I could imagine getting drunk and going home with….except, well….maybe the big doofus beside me, but he REALLY didn't need to know that, either! (He's actually not a doofus, but thinking that just helped keep my 'mad' going.) A slight smile tugged at my lips as I pictured Walt and I staggering out of the Red Pony, totally shitfaced, clinging to each other in an attempt to stay upright. Maybe we'd make it to the Bullet, fumble around with the tailgate for awhile and then crawl in the back and get it on like a couple of horny teenagers…but eww, Walt kept dead bodies in the back of his truck, so that kinda ruined THAT fantasy.

''Something wrong, Vic?" I must've 'ewwed' out loud

"Just gas…that diner we stopped at was pretty raunchy" and I mean, why not make him feel REALLY bad for dragging me out and away from my couch and my sweats?

"Okay, I get it, Vic. You're pissed at me…"

"Oh, I'm not pissed, Walt, but I wish I were."

"We'll be back before midnight. I'll buy you a beer at the Red Pony" and I caught his quick glance and was that the tiniest of apologetic smiles I saw? I reached out, gave the hand that rested on his thigh a quick, light pat and he gave a little jump

"It's okay" I told him. "I just had to give you a hard time, Walt. It's actually not a bad drive right now" and it wasn't. The stars were out, the moon hung high and almost full in the night sky, bathing the snow-covered plains and mountains in silver light. We were the only car on the road and it was…peaceful.

"You've given me more than enough hard times, Vic" and the way he said it made my jaw drop. I stared at him, open-mouthed, wide-eyed and the sneaky bastard actually smiled and winked at me!

"I knew I could shut you up", he chuckled and I slapped his shoulder.

"Walter Longmire, you dirty old man!" I laughed. "Your timing sucks, though. We're almost home."

"It takes me awhile to warm up and isn't anticipation the best part of foreplay anyway?"

I actually gasped after that one. Holy fuck! I shifted in my seat to face him a little more fully. This was not the Walt I was used to!

"Are you serious?" I squeaked. He smiled broadly and brought his hand up towards my face and I couldn't believe he was going to touch me. I held my breath….

…and his hand grabbed – his coffee mug.

"Gotcha" he laughed softly and yes, he had and I could only chuckle, but for the smallest of moments there, I really thought he was going to touch me….and I'd loved that thought. I turned back in my seat, looked out the passenger side window to get myself under control.

"Shit" I heard him curse under his breath. "Hang on, Vic" and my head snapped back to face front and that old adrenaline kicked in.

"What is it?" I asked seriously.

"Over there" he pointed left. "There's a fire" and I followed his finger and saw it, about 200 yards off the road and that's where we were headed, plowing our own way through the snow. It was a bumpy ride.

"That's old man Johnson's place" Walt informed me as he manhandled the Bullet over the frozen field.

"He's the guy that fell off his horse and broke his leg, right?"

"Yup…"

We were close enough to see that the house wasn't on fire, but the barn was. I grabbed the mic and radioed the FD. ETA was going to take longer than we both liked.

"I'm gonna pull up to the house" Walt began, all business now, 'you get him out, just in case. I'm gonna head to the barn and make sure there's no livestock in there."

"Okay" I replied. I'd undone my seatbelt as we were almost at the house.

Walt brought the Bullet to a sliding halt. We both jumped out, heading in opposite directions.

"Be careful, Walt!" I yelled as I raced up the stairs and pounded on the front door. "Sheriff's Department" I hollered. No answer. I tried the door but it was locked. I readied myself; kicking a door down is not as easy as it looks in the movies.

"One, two, three" I counted under my breath and hauled off. The door flew open. It was dark inside I drew my gun and headed in.

"Mr. Johnson", I called out, making my way cautiously through the living room, "this is Deputy Moretti from the Absaroka Sheriff's Department. Call out if you can hear me…" and I listened hard but there was no answer. I found a light switch and turned it on. The place was neat and tidy…maybe a little too tidy. I made my way down the hall, opening doors as I went. Two bedrooms, beds neatly made. No sign of anyone. I headed back outside and made a quick sweep around the exterior; no vehicle to be seen. I holstered my gun and headed for the barn at a run.

"Walt!" I called out. The barn was really blazing now and I could feel the heat on my face. "WALT!" and I felt a thrill of panic. He wasn't in there, was he? Sweet Jesus… Just as I was heading for the door, I saw him. He was off to my right, watching the fire. I ran to his side in relief.

"No one inside" I reported. "Looks like no one's been there for a few days. What about the barn?"

"I got a quick look before the fire really took off" he said and it was then I noticed the soot on his face. "I didn't see any signs of animals"

"Thank God" I breathed. "We gonna wait for the FD?" I asked.

"Yup, but first I have to check something out. You stay here"

"No way in hell are you going back in there, Walt"

"I'm not. Just gotta check something out. You stay here, I mean it!" and before I could reply, he was on his way around the barn. I'd barely begun to get out a good mutter of what I thought about him telling me to stay when he was on his way back, like a bat out of hell, waving his arms frantically.

"Run, Vic!" I hesitated and he flew at me, grabbing my hand, almost pulling me right off my feet. The guy could move and he was dragging me in his wake. I thought we'd head for the Bullet but he was hell-bent for the road. My heart was beating so hard that I could hear it in my head as I tried to keep up to him. Both of us were panting like a couple of over-worked race horses and I was wondering how much further I was going to be able to go. That's when we hit the ditch or perhaps I should say, that's when Walt threw me in the ditch and threw himself in almost on top of me. He was covering me, that was for sure and I was thankful for the deep snow that kept him from completely crushing me.

"What the hell – " I started indignantly but I was cut off by an ear-shattering explosion that rocked the earth. I lay there, Walt on top of me, both of us gasping for breath while the whole world seemed to explode around us. I braced myself, squeezing my eyes shut, clapping my hands over my ears ,hunching my shoulders up in some weird attempt to protect my head, while I waiting for some kind of shit to rain down on us and I could feel Walt tensing for the same. Among the blasts came screaming whistles and after a few moments of sound without getting pummeled I felt Walt move off me. Then he shook me. I took my hands off my ears, opened my eyes and saw flashes of coloured light. Walt was on his butt beside me, looking towards the barn. I crawled over to him and got on my knees to take a peek. I couldn't believe what I saw. Oh, the barn was still blazing, but that wasn't what made me gasp. The whole sky over Ben Johnson's place was ablaze with fireworks! Red, yellow, green starbursts of colour exploded above us. I looked at Walt; he looked at me. He'd lost his hat somewhere.

"What the fuck…?" I breathed in awe.

"I saw the propane tanks out back" Walt told me in between blasts, "and I knew it was going to blow, but I wasn't expecting this!"

"The crazy bugger must've had them stashed" I said softly, turning my attention back to the colourful display.

"Yup" Walt agreed. He put an arm around my shoulder, causing me to look at him once more. He was smiling that rare and beautiful smile of his. He glanced at his watch and then moved his head closer to mine. I felt his breath in my ear.

"Happy New Year, Vic" he whispered and his soft lips grazed the curve of my jaw. I turned slightly so that my mouth met his. I closed my eyes and indulged one of my fantasies. I put both hands on either side of his face and opened my mouth. He responded and the fireworks suddenly seemed to be inside of us. He crushed me to him, I clutched two handfuls of his hair. His hands slid up my sides beneath my coat and mine were making their way over his shoulders and down his chest and I was thinking that this was it, we were going to do this when the barn decided to explode. The noise was thunderous, tearing us apart and this time, there was a shit-storm of flying wood and we hit the ground once more. I landed on my back and Walt was over top of me. The initial blast seemed to be all the old barn had left in it and in the distance, in between the continual boom of the fireworks, I heard the sirens that heralded the arrival of the FD. I don't know what came over me - perhaps the thought that the barn's explosion was a sign from above that Walt and I had gotten just a little too friendly - but I started laughing. Softly at first. It was a sight, Walt on his hands and knees above me, straddling me while the world exploded in colour and noise above us; I almost expected to hear 'Auld Lang Syne' blaring from somewhere. Walt laughed, too, quietly as he gazed down at me and the laughter grew until he collapsed beside me, both of us gasping for air but not quite able to completely stop.

"Not such a bad night afterall" I managed to get out. "Some fireworks, hey?"

"You can say that again" Walt replied as he propped himself up on one elbow and I knew he wasn't talking about the pyrotechnics in the sky. He slipped a hand inside my open jacket and placed it on my belly. I was willing to tempt another explosion. I reached up and caressed the side of his handsome face.  
>Happy New Year, Walt" I told him and he leaned down and placed his lips on mine and the fireworks in the sky above us were nothing compared to the fireworks he'd just ignited inside of me…<p>

THE END…or just the BEGINNING?


End file.
